Affiliate promo code tracking & leak detection

The Promo Codes page is where you register affiliate-specific discount codes, track the revenue they drive, monitor expiration dates, and detect unauthorized sharing. It's the bridge between Shopify discounts and AvantLink/Impact affiliate attribution.

Why affiliate promo codes need to be registered

Both AvantLink and Impact track conversions primarily through click-based cookie attribution. But many affiliates - especially content creators, social influencers, and email newsletters - promote products via a personal discount code rather than (or in addition to) a tracking link. When a shopper uses that code at checkout without having clicked an affiliate link, the sale is at risk of being attributed to no one.

Registering a promo code in OptimizeAffiliate associates it with a specific affiliate, so you have a record of which code belongs to whom. This lets you cross-reference Shopify order data against network attribution and catch cases where a code drove revenue that didn't get credited to the right partner.

Registering a promo code

Click Add Code and fill in the code string (exactly as it appears in Shopify Discounts), the affiliated partner name, the network (AvantLink or Impact), and optionally an expiration date. The code is saved and begins appearing in the attribution cross-reference on every automatic scan.

Promo code fields

Revenue attribution

The Promo Codes page shows the revenue generated via each code in the last 30 days. This is pulled directly from Shopify order data - it reflects what was charged and completed, net of refunds. It's useful for auditing whether your promo codes are driving incremental revenue or cannibalizing full-price purchases.

Promo leak detection

Automatically, OptimizeAffiliate cross-references Shopify orders against your registered affiliate codes and your AvantLink/Impact transaction logs. If a code is used in an order that has no affiliate attribution - meaning the shopper didn't come through an affiliate link and the code didn't match any registered affiliate code - it's flagged as a potential leak.

Leaks appear in Store Health and generate a Priority 1 action in the Actions Inbox. The most common causes are affiliate codes shared publicly on coupon aggregator sites, Reddit, or group chats - outside your program's tracked channels.

What to do when a leak is detected

1. Identify the code named in the alert. 2. Search for it on major coupon sites (RetailMeNot, Honey, etc.) to confirm it was shared publicly. 3. Deactivate the code in Shopify Discounts. 4. Create a new code for the affiliate through proper channels and update their creative assets. 5. Consider adding the old code to a blocklist if the issue recurs.

Expiration monitoring

When you set an expiration date on a promo code, OptimizeAffiliate watches it. Seven days before expiry, a Store Health alert appears and the Actions Inbox generates a promo_code_expiring action. This gives you time to either renew the code, replace it, or proactively contact the affiliate to update their content before the code goes dead.